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Through the years, many of our Sparkling Resolution wines have come from his suggestions. For August we asked him to select this month’s sparkler and he came up with a new favorite that made us go back for more.

Our constant search for, and love of, grower Champagnes doesn’t surprise Rubin who compares the increased interest in this category of winemakers to the locavore farm-to-table movement. “People want to know where their food and libation come from,” he explains, “and consuming small grower champagne satisfies that curiosity.”

Look at this way, “Which would you rather consume,” says Rubin, “a big, juicy, ripe tomato right off the farm, or one of those colorless and flavorless tomatoes that shows up in your salad ... in January?”

Similarly, “When deciding between a small grower champagne or a mass produced version of the same style of wine,” Rubin says the choice is obvious. “Champagnes that are bottled by growers will usually be from a specific village and will be their top choice of grapes, which obviously they won’t sell to the big houses.”

The Moutard Grand Cuvee Brut Champagne pedigree includes 100% Pinot Noir grown in clay-limestone soils. The hand harvested grapes undergo a gentle pressing and are vinified in stainless steel tanks. Moutard proudly describes its production as a blend of several of the best vintages.

Tasting Notes:

The winemaker points to a, “refined, rich nose which evokes notes of butter, almond and brioche. Lively, elegant and balanced palate with good mouthfill.”

We think what this wine doesn’t give up on the nose, it makes up on the palate. Perhaps Howie Rubin summed it up best, “Great champagnes are characterized by a long, persistent finish, and that’s where the Moutard shines. Compare it to one of the big names in champagne and you will see the difference.”

Wednesday, July 01, 2015

To me July has always been the month that means summer has really arrived with no shortage of reasons to celebrate – July 4th, vacations, warm weather, lots of daylight! And, because of its outstanding potential, we’re toasting month #7 with an equally impressive bottle of Jean-François Mérieau “Bulles” (2009).

Made in the traditional champagne method, this sparkler (90% Chenin Blanc, 10% Chardonnay) is described as “vibrant and crisp,” having “a pleasant nose, with some white fruits and vine peaches aromas … Very much a celebration pre-dinner wine.”

Winemaker Jean-François Mérieau has been praised as ambitious and creative – one of the new stars of the Loire region, no argument here.

According to K&L Wines, Jean-François Mérieau "Bulles" Touraine Sparkling is “a refreshing, crisp wine ... has a bright nose of apple and pears with hints of citrus ... palate is creamy and rich ... finish is juicy and long.”

(Wine Spectator) - "This sparkler is forward, with a prominent spicy ginger note lading [sic] the way for pear, melon and brioche flavors. Stays racy on the finish, with the ginger note lingering."

Our noses caught the pear aroma along with a good acidity. For a lighter feel, drink well-chilled. We liked it best with food having first enjoyed Jean-François Mérieau Bulles (2009) at Select Oyster Bar where it matched extremely well with their fabulous seafood preparations.

Since the opening of this neighborhood spot back in April, we've enjoyed many glasses of sparkling wine with our meals and afternoon snacks at the Select bar. We picked one and then another as a possible wine to celebrate the arrival of June, but couldn't decide. We finally asked Chef Serpa if he would choose for us and he agreed.

We slipped out onto the patio at Select while lunch customers were finishing up their meals to photograph this wine.

One of the first things we learned was that, in addition to having a sparkler to enjoy on June 1st, our newest wine mentor was offering us another importer to add to our list of great resources. He loves the wines from Vintage 59 and offers a number of selections from their portfolio on his current list.

Chef Serpa calls Champagne Jacquesson Cuvée 736, "Balanced." We agree and love that he has picked so many wines like this that match perfectly with his food. As to this one, he pointed out, "Champagne is the ultimate food wine!"

You'll notice that the glasses used for this tasting (which was generously shared with us) are not flutes.

Serpa has great reasons for his sparkling wine glass choice, "Any nicer sparkling wine, I think, just works much better in a standard kind of wine glass rather than a flute, just because you get the aroma..." "When you're drinking great wine," he said, "I think it should be in a proper glass where you're going to get the full experience of the wine."

He recognizes the celebratory feel of a flute and you'll find flutes on hand at Select, but you may be offered the choice of a flute or a wine glass with a particular wine.

Between lunch and dinner service, we moved inside to the large table by the window to talk more about wine.

Wine Temperature

You may also have noticed that he did not put this bottle in a wine chiller. We often suggest drinking a great wine, like this one, through a range of temperatures. We were delighted that he agrees, "As it warms up, you taste a little bit more of the wine." He explained that with the lower alcohol levels in many sparkling wines, you won't experience that hot taste of alcohol as the wine warms, the way you might in a 15% ABV wine. You just enjoy more of the full flavor the wine has to offer.

A Toast for June

We asked Chef Serpa what he'll be toasting on June 1st as he joins us in welcoming a Happy New Month! He has great reason to celebrate because he'll be toasting his 30th birthday on June 2nd. He said, "I think it's going to be a good year!" We agreed and wished him a good decade. He responded that the first 30 were good!

Click over to twitter @michaelserpa, (where he claims the title of, "Handyman @selectboston in Boston's Back Bay,") and wish him a Happy Birthday on June 2nd. Or post a birthday greeting on the Select Facebook page. He certainly has our best wishes for a happy and successful third decade of life.

A Big Thank You to Chef Serpa!

Thank you for the time you took out of a busy afternoon to share this wonderful wine with us and our readers. And, thanks for starting a new BostonZest tradition of letting people we trust select our sparkler of the month, from time to time.

“Most of us think of sparkling wine as something that should only be drunk on special occasions or at Christmas and New Years, but I don’t agree. Sparkling wine can be enjoyed all year round and I especially like it in the summer and always with food.”

Then, we opened a bottle at home and had it with food and without sharing our attention with some of our all time favorite Proseccos. We discovered that we love this Nino Franco wine for a whole set of different reasons. We added a few bottles to our next order from Brix to be sure to have some for our pals despite dipping into the supply from time to time.

Rosé as a Rite of Spring

We browsed our wine rack to pick a sparkler for May and remembered the strawberry notes and clean dry finish of the Faive. It seemed a perfect choice. Others agree.

Wine & Spirits 2013: “More red than rosé, this has the dark flavor of pomegranate .... There’s something oddly refreshing in it, a quirky rosé to chill for the beach, to serve with grilled shellfish.”

Independent Wine Review: "This “Faive” Rosé bubbles on across an impressive length. Drier than most rosé sparkling wines made in the Prosecco zone of production and purer in flavour."

Sommelier's Choice: "In many ways a wine that defies classification (not legally permitted to be labelled Prosecco, drier than most rosé sparkling wines made in the Prosecco zone of production and purer in flavour and made differently to rosé Champagne) this “Faive” Rosé Spumante is defined by flavours of strawberries, wild raspberries and freshly picked nectarines. Almost completely dry and underpinned by an ever-present but subtle and nicely integrated mousse, this “Faive” Rosé bubbles on across an impressive length."

Charles Scicolone: "The wine is light salmon in color, with good bubbles, nice red fruit and a hint of pear."

Importer's serving suggestions: Faive should be enjoyed from the first spring days, over the summer until late autumn. Serve with small appetizing bites ranging from cheese, to lightly steamed shrimp and cheese straws.

What Does the Name Mean?

Faive: from the Venetian dialect, are the small gilded red tongues of flame and sparks rising towards the sky from a great fire, lightly and freely carried by the wind.

Wednesday, April 01, 2015

We discovered our April sparkler, Denny Bini, Levante 90, Malvasia dell'Emilia Frizzante, at Eastern Standard in Kenmore Square. (In case you've just tuned in, for years we've kept our sparkling resolution to start each month with a toast over a glass of sparkling wine and we'd love to have you join us. More about that here.)

We nearly missed out on this appealing wine because Eastern Standard pours one of my favorite sparklers and I was ready to enjoy that once again. I did ask about the new addition on the sparkling menu, but frowned at the words "slight sweetness" when our bartender described it.

Ed encouraged me to have a taste before I fell back on an old favorite. The young man behind the bar concurred and Ed and I both quickly learned that the frizzante hid whatever sweet notes others found in this wine.

What's more, it opened up in the glass after a couple of swirls and seemed perfect for the food we had ordered. This is not a wine for everyone and it is very much a wine that you will enjoy more with food.

Ed's salmon was a match since a sip of this Malvasia cleared the palate of the lush fattiness of the salmon.

Frizzante Style

"… Italians refer to slightly sparkling wines as frizzante wines. In Spain, however, these wines are known as Vino de Aguja. The French term for them is Petillant, while the German term is Perlwein."

Tip for wine seekers: Photograph the back of the bottle so you'll have the information you'll need to find wines in retail shops.

Orange-ish

We located this Malvasia for sale at the Wine Bottega in the North End. (Call before you run over there. The selection in a small, focused wine shop like this is constantly changing.) Here's their description of the wine.

"Slightly effervescent, bottle fermented, orange-ish, aromatic, dry malvasia from the Fizz Belt of Italy? Need we say more? Denny Bini is a very small scale, cult followed producer in Emilia-Romagna. His wines are a reference point for the locals there and they are finally available (in very limited quantities) here in the US."

I had chicken pot pie with this Malvasia and it works as well with this typical white wine dish as it did with the salmon.

Discovering Wines

Now you see how we discover wines new to us.

We explore wine menus we trust.

We take those offered sips.

We follow suggestions from servers in places where food and wine training is part of the restaurant's culture.

We go to a few carefully selected wine tastings.

We listen to our wine mentors.

We've been fortunate over the years to have met a number of people in the wine and hospitality industry who have been incredibly generous in feeding our constant cravings for wine knowledge. Thanks to each and every one of them.

Sunday, March 01, 2015

What’s so great about March? Well, besides spring, St. Joseph’s Day zeppole, and a return to Daylight Saving Time, we get to raise a sparkling glass of Bailly Lapierre Crémont Rosé to welcome the new month.

As part of Our Sparkling Resolution, we’re featuring this worthy sparkler because it has the spirit to face the next 31 days – whatever they may bring.

Tasting Notes:

Ed …

If you like Pinot Noir, this will please you. (90% Pinot Noir, 10% Gamay)

Not overpowering

Fruit just right for me

Very drinkable (with food & solo)

Impressive Mousse

Do Not Over-Chill

While this crémant is fine right from the chiller, it really caresses you as its temperature rises – becoming fruitier, softer, and friendlier.

Penny ...

Some reviewers have called it a picnic wine, maybe that's why we went out to buy more during this cold spell. We needed the hope of spring.

We've also tried their Pinot Noir Brut and Reserve. Of the two, we like the Pinot better.

Sunday, February 01, 2015

On this snowy first day of the month, we’ll pop the cork on a bottle of Charles de Cazanove Champagne and raise a glass with high hopes for the next 28 days!

We admit to being happy hedonists, proud of our achievement to date, hoping to spread the word far-and-wide. What achievement? Read on …

Our Sparkling Resolution

As we clinked our flutes of sparkling wine at the stroke of midnight to welcome 2008 – and promised to repeat the toast at the start of each month throughout the new year – we had no idea we would actually keep that resolution to this day!

While it seemed like a frivolous pledge at the time, we found ourselves looking forward to the first of every month. Searching out a bottle of cava, prosecco, cremant, or maybe a grower champagne for repeated celebrations during that year, always made us smile. Besides being an easy and pleasurable way to keep a resolution, it gave us a fresh way to start a new month, complete with a hopeful toast to whatever might lie ahead.

Join our Sparkling Resolution and reset your mojo by raising a glass of bubbly to greet each and every month. Salut!

Now, a bit about this month’s wine …

Charles de Cazanove Brut is a nicely balanced Champagne. We think it delivers a pleasant, yeasty, toastiness that works well with or without food. This sparkler can sit proudly next to some of our favorite Champagnes, including Bollinger and Piper-Heidsieck.

Others Say …

“The fine bubbles form a large string against a golden background. A fruity nose and delicious, persistent barley sugar and brioche flavours. A very lively wine.” (Charles de Cazanove)

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